296 A DECADE OF WORK AT HOME.  [1842, 
duty; and offering me, of course, additional compensa- 
tion, I suppose $200 or so. I found, however, that this 
pay would come from the funds of the Garden, let 
who would perform the duty. So ‘to prevent that, I 
offered to perform the duty, but to receive no pay for 
it. At the same time, however, I got the corporation 
to appropriate $100 for iliaakuntivn botanical draw- 
ings, which otherwise would have come out of my own 
pocket. So you see I have work enough ahead, if I 
live, to give me both occupation and anxiety. I have 
been driving away at the “ Flora,” of late, very hard, 
hoping to come to New York to print next month; 
when all this matter must be laid aside, and I must 
prepare for my lectures, ete., for next term, which com- 
mences about the first of March. 
I am very tired, having been in Boston all day, — 
at tea at Mr. Albro’s, our good pastor, where I met 
Mr. Dana, father of “Two Years before the Mast” 
Dana, and passed the rest of the evening at Professor 
Peirce’s.!_ To-morrow I hope to have for study ; but 
the next day I shall be obliged to go again to Boston, 
and perhaps stay till evening for a soirée at Mr. Tick- 
nor’s. 
The Latimer case has greatly increased the aboli- 
tion feeling in this State, besides showing that the 
recent decision of the Supreme Court wal in fact 
operate in favor of the runaway slave. It is not prob- 
able that another slave will ever be again captured in 
Massachusetts. There is a petition to Congress in 
circulation, designed simply to express the feelings 
of Massachusetts, which will probably be signed by 
almost every person in the State. 
1 Benjamin Peirce, 1809-1880; professor of mathematics, Harvard 
University. 
